Jinxed
Jinxed is the fourth episode of TUGS in the UK/Australia and the tenth episode in Japan. Plot One night out at sea, Ten Cents and Sunshine find a mysterious tug named Boomer. He isn’t moving, and has apparently broken down. He declines their offer of help, explaining that he is a “jinx” and wants nothing to do with anyone, because he will bring them bad luck. The tug explains that his original name was "Captain Harry", and that the supposed jinx began when a new owner renamed him Boomer and painted over his original name. Events tend to confirm the story of a jinx. First Ten Cent’s tow rope, which he attaches to Boomer, falls into the sea. Then, when the tugs bring Boomer to Captain Star and he is restocked and restarted, his engine blows. Captain Star orders Ten Cents and Sunshine to pull Boomer clear. As soon as he is clear, his engine strangely stops smoking. After this, Captain Star's megaphone falls out of the window. Captain Star obviously realises that Boomer may be a jinx, as this has never happened before - he tells the tugs to take Boomer to Lucky's Yard. On the way there, Boomer suddenly starts taking on water. He is quite happy as he sinks lower and lower- he has always wanted to sink, because he won't jinx anyone. But he comes to rest on a sunken garbage barge. Ten Cents fetches a rescue crane, Mighty Mo, who tries to lift Boomer, but seizes up as soon as he is out of the water. They somehow manage to get to Lucky's Yard, but suddenly the lights go out, and the tugs are nearly damaged. Boomer is repaired, and begins working for the Z-Stacks on the munitions contract. As he passes Zip, Zug and Boomer, who are hauling a barge of explosives, Ten Cents toots good luck to Boomer on his hooter and the explosives immediately detonate. Captain Zero is a less patient man than Captain Star, and instantly gets rid of Boomer. Captain Star decides to give him another try, using him only on very simple jobs, where nothing can go wrong- or so he thinks. As Ten Cents also hooted as Boomer was being lifted out of the water by Mighty Mo, Sunshine theorises that Ten Cents' hooter may somehow be causing the jinx. Ten Cents, however, thinks this is nonsense. In an attempt to prove he is right, Sunshine organises a test- he finds Boomer with a marker buoy, and tells Ten Cents to sound his hooter Ten Cents does so, and nothing happens until the marker buoy sinks, much to everyone's surprise. The following morning, Captain Star gives Boomer the simple task of towing a schooner out to sea, believing nothing can possibly go wrong (given that there's "No engines to break down, to catch fire, no crane hoses to snap, no ammunition to explode, and no buoys to sink. Just plain sail. And if Boomer breaks down, then the sail can more likely pull him."). Ten Cents and Sunshine escort Boomer to the schooner without any mishaps, and Boomer starts off successfully. (Ten Cents is careful not to sound his hooter.) But later, Ten Cents and Sunshine see Boomer and the burnt-out schooner being towed in by the Fire Launch. Boomer says he was struck by lightning -- though the weather has been fair. Captain Star's patience finally runs out. He has Sunshine take Boomer sent to Lucky’s Yard with strict instructions that he is "never to be used as a tug ever again, no matter what.” Some weeks later, Ten Cents and Sunshine are surprised by Captain Star’s order to fetch Boomer and take him Up River. Ten Cents tells Sunshine that “There’s a ship's graveyard there, full of rusting hulls”. They fear the worst for Boomer, but when they see him, they find he has been turned into a houseboat. The pair escort Boomer to his new mooring ("Dun' Tuggin"), where he is very happy. Boomer thanks them both and apologises for getting them into trouble. Ten Cents tells Boomer he hopes the jinx left him. Boomer tells him it's what the jinx did to others that worried him the most. As Ten Cents whistles goodbye, a tree falls over, which would seem to have been caused by the jinx. But Boomer assures them the jinx is gone; if it was still there, he reasons, the tree would have collapsed on him, or one of them. The two switchers then say goodbye to Boomer, and go back to work. Boomer is once again happy; now he can rest during the summer and the trees can keep him shade. He is very happy there, because the jinx has been lifted. Characters *Ten Cents *Captain Star *Big Mac *O.J. *Zak *Sunshine *Boomer *Mighty Mo *Captain Zero (does not speak; speaking role in Japanese Version) *Fire Tug (does not speak) *Top Hat (model cameo; larger role in deleted scene) *Warrior (cameo; larger role in deleted scene) *Zug (cameo) *Zip (cameo) *Scuttlebutt Pete (cameo) *Little Ditcher (cameo) *Zorran (cameo) *Zebedee (cameo) *Big Mickey (cameo) *Sally Seaplane (cameo) *Fultan Ferry (cameo) *Diesel Tugboat (cameo) *Izzy Gomez (model cameo) *Hercules (deleted scene) Trivia *This is the first appearance of Mighty Mo and Boomer. *This is the only time Captain Star speaks without his megaphone. *This episode marks the final appearance of Captain Zero, however he was mentioned in later episodes. *According to Jeremy King, the wreck buoy was purposely painted with a hungover look in his eyes. *In the photo book adaption "The Unlucky Tug", there is a deleted scene of the morning after the wreck at Lucky's Yard. *Zak is the only Z-Stack to speak in this episode. *Stock footage from Sunshine andPiratePirate is used. *The shot of Boomer and the schooner against the orange sky was used in the show's closing credits. *Pre-filmed footage from Quarantine, Ghosts, Up River and Munitions is used. *There is a deleted scene showing Big Mac present with the floating cranes, as Boomer is being rescued from sinking. This can be found in a Castle Vision VHS advert. Goofs *When Boomer explains about the tree falling down, he is still back at Lucky's Yard. *When Sunshine prepares to take Boomer to Lucky's Yard with Ten Cents, his bow ropes are moving whilst he is pulling the barge. Gallery Tugs vhs.jpg|UK VHS cover Alt Playbox Upriver VHS Cover.jpg|UK Playbox VHS cover Quarantine-UpRiver-JinxedVHS.JPG|UK tape Jinxed au.jpg|Australian VHS cover Upriver Finnish.jpg|Finnish VHS cover TUGSJapaneseVHSCoverJinxed.jpg|Japanese VHS cover Jinxed tape.jpg|Australian tape Jinxed tape front.jpg|Australian tape front JinxedTitleCard.png|Title Card JinxedHeader.JPG File:unluckytug2.jpg UnluckTug5.PNG BoomerSmoke.jpg Boomer1.jpg File:FallenMegaphone.JPG File:FallenMegaphone2.JPG File:WreckBuoy.JPG SunshineinJinxed.jpg|Sunshine SunshineSceneRestored.jpg|Extended Stock Footage from Sunshine BoomerSinking.jpg UnluckTug6.PNG UnluckyTug7.PNG SunkenBoomer.jpg File:unluckytugcover.jpg JinxedDeletedScene2NTSC.jpg|Deleted Scene UnluckyTugBook7.jpg File:Mighty Moe.png File:Mightymo.jpg UnluckyTug8.PNG TheUnluckyTug9.jpg JinxedGhostsStock.jpg File:luckys_yard_2.jpg|Boomer heading to Lucky's Yard UnluckTug11.PNG UnluckTug10.PNG UnluckyTug9.PNG File:unluckytug1.jpg|Tug wreck UnluckyTug15.PNG|Deleted scene Jinxed.png UnluckyTug12.PNG File:SallyJinxed1.jpg|Sunshine and Sally Seaplane File:Zip.png TheOtherFireTug.png File:Jinxed.jpg ZeroDockSignJinxed.png|Zero Dock Sign Captain Zero.jpg|Captain Zero ZStacks576PAL.jpg File:JinxedTenCentsSunshineBoomerBuoy.jpg File:Angry ten cents.jpg BoomerHeader.jpg TheBridge.HighTide.png File:Sunshine sad.jpg BoomeratStarPier.jpg File:BoomerJinxed2.png UnluckyTugBook2.jpg BoomerSchooner.jpg BoomerSunset.jpg|Deleted Scene BoomerSchoonerJinxed...png|This shot was used in the show's end credits. BIGMACJinxed.png Diesel Tug.png|Boomer at Lucky's Yard SensitiveSunshine.png|Sunshine crying :'( Lucky'sYardwithYellowBuoy.png|Lucky's Yard BoomerHouseBoat.jpg Boomerhousetug3.jpg Boomerhouse-1-.jpg Boomerhouseboat2.jpg Boomer.jpg TenCentsinJinxed.jpg SunshineJinxed...png Ten Cents shut eyes.jpg unluckytug20.jpg|Boomer as a houseboat Dun Tuggin'.png JinxedDeletedShotTCSS.PNG|Deleted Shot JinxedBigMacOJDeleted.PNG|Deleted Shot The Unlucky Tug.jpg|Photobook Adaption Episode External links * Category:Episodes Category:Stories Category:15 Minute Episodes